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The Colorado Avalanche had one of the slowest starts of the year. Coming into December, they were 9-14-1 and sitting in the basement of the Central Division. They have been absolutely rolling this month, winning eight of ten games. A healthy and effective Semyon Varlamov in net is the reason for the Avalanche’s rise back into the ranks of the Western Conference.
The Avs find themselves just three points out of a playoff spot. This comes after just three weeks ago people were calling this a lost season and contemplating whether Patrick Roy and Joe Sakic were the right people to guide this franchise. The team was rumored to be trading Matt Duchene, who leads the team with 16 goals.
Varlamov has been great this month. In six of eight games, he has allowed one goal or less. The Avalanche won every game this month in which they kept their opponent under three goals. That seems to be the point of no return for this team.
It will be very hard for Varlamov to keep up this pace. He has been stellar throughout the month, posting a .967 save percentage. He couldn’t break .900 the two months prior. If this is the real output you can expect from him, then the Avalanche will be contenders by the end of the year.
The issue here is Varlamov has been inconsistent throughout his career. He can be absolutely dominant, taking out everyone in his path, or he could be the reason his team loses. In three of six months last year he had a save percentage over .930, in the other three months it was under .905. That kind of inconsistency makes a coach pull his hair out.
If Varlamov can play up to his potential, this Avalanche team will make the playoffs. It doesn’t matter how much they score. It’s obvious this team can score with anyone. If they stop goals from getting in, they will win.
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